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This is so hard to write about, I have tried and failed several times before to post.
How can you tell when your dog is in a lot of pain?
Strength:
My baby is 15 years old, nearly blind and completely deaf. Her hind legs and hips are so weak she cannot get to her feet by herself more than a few times a day. When she is standing, she cannot straighten her hind legs and falls down a few times a day when she tries to take a corner too sharply. She can make it up and down the step to get outside, although she does fall a few times a week.
Health:
She is a lab/retriever mix and about 60 pounds. Her coat is still as thick and gorgeous as always. But, she is covered in little skin tag growths that she picks at all day. The vet said he cannot remove those because of her age. She also has large (grapefruit size) fatty tumors under both front legs and lots of smaller ones all over. The vet says she has an enlarged colon that may be leaking, (?) but slow enough that her body is absorbing the excess.
Food and Functions:
She still has control of her functions and only has accidents if we do not wake up in time in the morning. She still loves to eat and will try to snag food from the kitchen table. But, she also has reflux after eating almost anything.
Attitude:
She loves us and insists in being in the same room as me all day long. She still tries to run and play occasionally, but usually falls down within seconds. We just got a new kitten, which perked her up for a few days until the kitten straighten out the dominance order.
On the other hand, she will lay or stand next to me and just whine a low pitch whine. This happens at some point every day.
I am returning to work full time next week. Someone is checking on her and letting her out once per day. She will still be on her own for three to four hours at a time, though, and I worry she will lay down and not be able to get up for several hours.
She seems to still be enjoying life, but is she in extreme pain, too? We tried a wide array of pain management medication. Remadyl is the only one that has not had disabilitating side effects. Massages also seem to help a lot.
I really do not know what to do for her. I am not ready to put her to sleep, but is she ready? There are moments everyday when I am completely sure it is her time and then others when I think she can last another year.
I would appreciate anyone sharing their experiences with a much older dog.
Made me sad to read this post - lump-in-the-throat sadness, 'cause I think you know the answer.
What do her eyes tell you?
Talk to your vet. It is a quality of life issue and is different with every dog, young or old. Just went through this situation last year with my best friend's dog. She told him when she was ready. She was a 16 y/o border collie and had a great life.
you probably know. i can certainly feel your suffering. to lose a friend is horrid. having gone thru this several times, i strongly suggest you do not hold your pet while he gives a fatal injection. i was not right for years after having done this at vets direction.
I think that as long as your dog has some things she enjoys that that's enough to carry on.
I disagree with the post above. I was so glad that I could be there with my kitty, holding her when she got the injection and went to sleep. I knew, for certain, that she didn't suffer.
If she were mine I would bid her Fare Well My Darling.
I made this same choice just 17 days ago with my 15-1/2 year old Irish Setter mix. Over the past couple of years he had acupuncture, several courses of Adequan injections twice a week for 4 weeks, 50 mg. of Dermaxx every day, 50 mg of Tramadol 3 times per day, joint supplements and massage.
It had reached the point where he had trouble getting up on his own, partly because he would slip on hardwood floors and partly because his nails were long since he no longer wore them down much and he absolutely hated having me trim them.
When it became impossible for him to stand on his own after I had helped him onto his feet I knew it was time even though he was eating well and his delight at one more chance to be out in the cool snow was obvious.
Saying goodbye is never easy and he was the last of a group of dogs that I called the awesome threesome as he was my connection to the other two who had gone before.
I had unexpectedly and suddenly lost one of my senior black lab mixes back in October and wasn't even used to being down to just 4 dogs. Now with only three dogs of my own in the house (plus 2 fosters) the place seems out of sorts to say the least.
The sharp pain of loss does become a duller ache in time as we remember all the joy and love they brought into our lives, the funny, endearing, vexing things they did and we realize what an honor it was that they shared their time with us.
Since you asked for opinions, I'll say that any dog so weak they can't get up or stay up on their own at an advanced age, is ready for the rainbow bridge. Think about how she was last year - how much worse off is she? What happens if she dies at home alone? I had that happen once and it was terrible! I felt guilty for a very long time.
I have held the paw of every dog or cat I've lost as they went to the rainbow bridge and it gives me comfort in the midst of emotional pain to know they did indeed just gently slip into an eternal sleep.
So sorry that you are having to make this decision.
I don't know what to tell you...other than I would not leave her alone for those 3 hours during the day when you go back to work. Is there anyone that can spend more time with her during that time, a petsitter perhaps?
I had to contemplate the issue in October when my dog went into liver failure. We were fortunate that she has made a recovery, but we have the issue of her liver and gallbladder hanging over us, and know that every moment we have her is a gift.
My heart goes out to you and your dog. You will know when the time is right, all mothers do.
you probably know. i can certainly feel your suffering. to lose a friend is horrid. having gone thru this several times, i strongly suggest you do not hold your pet while he gives a fatal injection. i was not right for years after having done this at vets direction.
I don't want to go into gory details or distract too much from the OP's situation, so I will just say... next time you have to put a pet down, make sure your vet puts your pet to sleep (literally) first..before the "final" shot. Not every pet reacts "badly" being put down, but the ones that do... it IS
t e r r i b l e!!! Been there, done that.
To the OP: We don't always know for sure when it is the right time. A lot of what you described we and our Collie experienced. I soooooo wanted her to go naturally because I didn't want to make that decision.
I did make the decision when she was no longer there mentally and when she showed obvious signs of pain.
One method for determining whether a dog is in pain or not is to check their gums. A healthy dog will have dark pink gums. If they are in constant pain, their gums will turn white. Also, if a dog is fighting off an infection their thyroid glands will swell. Check for a hardened lump behind their jaw.
Unfortunately, tumors in older dogs are quite common. Particularly among fixed dogs. Not all tumors are malignant however. My last dog had a non-malignant tumor grow to such an extent, it pinched the nerve in her spine. At age 13 and a half she woke up one morning, stood up, and then collapsed. The day before she was playing fetch and bounding up the stairs like there was no problem. The vet told me that surgery may extend her life another 2 or 3 months, but not much more. It was not that difficult of a decision. She was in a lot of pain, and would not be able to enjoy the same quality of life she had just the day before. As much as I loved that dog, I could not stand to see her suffer.
As long as your dog is not in constant pain, and continues to enjoy your company, I would make each day count. Make those memories you will keep for a lifetime. I also agree with Viralmd. You should be with her at the end, if possible. She has been there for you all her life, the least we can do for our beloved pets is to be there for them at the end to give them as much comfort as possible.
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